


Changes

by yay_for_absurdism



Category: One Piece
Genre: Fluff, Kissing, M/M, just some wholesomeness to heal my soul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 08:22:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19128223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yay_for_absurdism/pseuds/yay_for_absurdism
Summary: Somewhere along the line, he’d missed when Killer got so big. Takes place sometime during the two-year timeskip.





	Changes

Somewhere along the line, he’d missed when Killer got so big. 

Even though Killer was four years older, Kid had always been bigger. He’d grown like a red-headed weed when he was a child, and had begun putting on muscle mass at a young age. Sure, he remembered being skinny because it wasn’t like they had had all the food in the world to eat, but he’d always been, comparatively, bigger.   
Killer had been skinny, sinewy, concealed by baggy clothes and a shaggy mop of hair. He’d been decently tall, but Kid had always been taller and bigger so it had made Killer look small in comparison. Even, oh, a year ago, Killer had been skinny, maybe half the girth of his Captain. 

But not anymore. 

Lying on his bed, head in Killer’s lap, he didn’t feel as big as he always had. 

He hadn’t really noticed until now. Sure, he’d noticed Killer putting on more muscle, and then he’d trimmed his hair, and then at some point in time he’d grown a beard. But only here and now, lying down and looking up at his first mate, did Kid really notice how big Killer had gotten. Not in height, Kid was still a couple inches taller, of course. But how had he not noticed before how thick Killer’s arms were, beneath that blue t-shirt of his. Or how his chest had filled out, or how his helmet looked so much less heavy when his head was supported by a thick neck. 

Maybe it had just been a really gradual change. 

“You’re scowling.” Killer said, softly. 

Was he? “I always am.” 

“Well, relax for once.” The first mate reached down and rubbed the space between Kid’s eyebrow ridges, where it was creased from a furrowed brow. “If you always make that face, it’ll stick forever.” 

Kid glared up at his friend. Maybe he was being made fun of. But after a moment, he sighed, relaxing his face best he could. “Fine.”

“Good.” Killer began massaging his temples. “You feel tense. What’s on your mind?” 

Eh. Lots of things, really. But his mouth spat out the last thing his brain had thought. “You got big.” 

He could almost hear Killer smile. “I did.” the first mate replied. "Thank you for noticing.” then, after a pause. “Is that why you’re scowling?” 

Probably not. That was probably just what his face looked like when he was thinking. “I dunno.” he muttered, closing his eyes. Killer’s hands on his face felt great. But when had Killer’s hands gotten so strong, when had his fingers stopped being lithe and become thick, much like Kid’s? 

He could tell that his vague answer wasn’t enough for Killer. He could get away with that with most people, but Killer was just as stubborn as he was. “Is it a problem?” the masked man asked, hands moving down to massage Kid’s neck and shoulders. “Me, haven gotten more muscular?” 

Was it? Of course not. “It’s different.” Kid replied. “You were always so much smaller than me. So skinny.” he chuckled. “You were cute.” 

“Oh.” 

Hmm. Something told his that that hadn’t been the best thing to say. All things considered, he knew his friend well and could definitely tell that Killer was not exactly happy with what he’d said, for some reason. 

Fuck. He wasn’t the best at talking, or thinking. They all knew that. Talking and thinking was more of Killer’s thing. He didn’t know why what he’d said had made Killer upset. 

“What’d I say?” he whined, reaching up with his one flesh-and-bone hand and placing his palm on the side of Killer’s mask, where the man’s cheek would be. 

Killer’s reply was quick. “Do you not like me, looking like this?” 

He couldn’t help but laugh, and he knew Killer was glaring daggers at him. “Hah! Me, not liking you?! As if! I’d still like you even if you stabbed me in the throat!” 

“Don’t give me any ideas.” Killer mumbled. “But, I mean, do you like me less like this?” 

Did he? He didn’t know. “When you were skinny, I could pick you up so easily.” he mused. 

Killer shook his head, sighing. “You’re strong, Kid. You can still pick me up, even like this.” he replied. He took Kid’s hand in his own. “I just wanted to get stronger.” 

That made enough sense. 

“Every day gets more dangerous. We’re always heading into more and more treacherous waters. I have to get stronger if I want to continue to be at your side. I need to get stronger if I want to continue protecting you.” 

“Protecting me?” 

Killer nodded. “That’s my job, you know.” 

He’d always been stronger than Killer. He still was. He remembered when they were kids, how they’d both get into fights, and how Killer would always, for some reason, come to his aid. It had led to Killer getting hurt a lot, because Kid was the stronger one, the bigger one, the one who would win most of the time, whereas Killer was the scrawny one that would be able to rip the throats out of a couple people before getting overwhelmed. He hadn’t understood, back then, why Killer had always put himself in danger. Sure, he still didn’t fully understand it. But he understood enough. 

“And, I've let you down, so I still need to be better-” 

“For the last time, Killer, this-” he waved his metal arm around, “-was not your fault and you couldn’t have stopped my arm from getting lopped off no matter what.” 

“Regardless. You’re a monster, Kid, a strong, wild, beautiful monster, but sometimes you still need help. And I want you to be able to rely on me. So I’m sorry that I’m not little and you can’t pick me up as easily anymore, but I have to change if I want to be able to keep up with you.” 

Well. Maybe it was a little different, a little weird. He was still so used to skinny Killer. But. Who gives a shit. “Don’t be sorry, damn it.” he grinned. “I’d be disappointed in you if you didn’t keep up with me. So yeah, you better keep on getting bigger, and getting stronger, or else I’ll leave you behind in the dust!” 

“You, leave me behind? Don’t make me laugh.” Killer replied, voice filled with mirth. 

“I won’t.” 

“So you’re not disappointed that I changed?” 

Kid sat up. He had always like being bigger than Killer because it had made him feel big, but that sounded really petty and he wasn’t going to say it. “Well, I’m going to miss that little ass of yours, but nope. Now I don’t have to worry about snapping you in half.” 

“Oh, like you could have!” 

He laughed, leaning close to his friend, reaching out to hold Killer's head in his hands. “I could have.” he purred, the atmosphere of the room changing dramatically. “But now I could be as rough as I want, can't I?” 

“I never said you couldn’t.” 

He wouldn’t take Killer’s mask off without asking, so he just leaned in and placed a kiss on his mask, where his lips would be. He left behind an almost perfect lipstick mark. 

“You idiot.” Killer hissed, swatting his Captain away and rubbing at the mark with his hand. 

“Take your mask off so I can leave my lipstick directly on your skin.” 

When he tossed his mask to the side, Killer was smiling, and he eagerly kissed back when Kid brought their lips together. 

He’d always been bigger, and still was. He’d always been stronger, and still was. But he had changed too, hadn't he? He’d lost an arm, he’d gotten scars. The people he’d known as a child would scarcely recognize him now. So maybe it wasn’t all that surprising that Killer had changed too. He didn’t want to be the tossed-aside wild-child with devil powers forever, so maybe Killer didn’t want to remain as the skinny, blood-soaked feral kid that he’d started out as. 

Kid paused, halfway through tugging Killer’s shirt off. “Hey, you don’t dislike me even though I’ve changed, do you?” he asked. 

Killer smiled, placing a kiss on Kid’s metal hand. “Oh, Kid, you haven’t changed at all. No matter what happens on the outside, you’re still my Captain.” he replied, and somehow that actually made perfect sense. 

“Heh. Well, I guess you haven’t really changed either.” 

Somewhere along the line, he’d missed when Killer got so big, but he was glad he hadn’t missed anything important.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written a fic in soooo long but the manga is killing me right now so I need some fluff to heal my heart. I just want these boys to be happy is that too much to ask.


End file.
